For You
by int0xic8ed-gurl
Summary: Something tremendous had happened to Sakuragi. He had died and Haruko was left alone. Who could be there to comfort a grieving heart? - Rukawa x Haruko - Please R&R...
1. Chapter 1: Grief

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them… The plot is mine and if you see some fics similar to mine, that's is just a coincidence. 

**Author's Notes: **This is my first attempt to write a fanfiction so please bear with the errors that you might see. The characters I've used may seem a bit out of character but I hope you like the fic. Please read and review ok? Your reviews will help me improve. Your suggestions, corrections or criticisms are always welcome.

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**Chapter 1: Grief**

It was Saturday morning. The sky looked like grieving with them. Heavy rain had fallen down from the vast sky filled with dark clouds. The breeze was cold but no one seemed to care. Dried leaves had fallen from the trees as the breeze blew them away. The ground was soggy and muddy and it was filled with dried leaves and twigs.

People in black and white clutched their umbrellas as they wept out of sorrow. Loud sobs and sniffles could be heard from the distance. All of them felt sadness in their hearts but no one could feel as much as Haruko's pain. Her beloved boyfriend, Sakuragi Hanamichi had died. Yes, the so-called basketball genius and Shohoku's rebound king had passed away.

Haruko knelt down as she held her umbrella in front of his grave. She seemed not to accept the truth, the truth that Hanamichi's already dead. She couldn't hold so much pain in her heart that she sobbed so loudly. The people around her did nothing but grieved with her as they placed their white roses on his grave.

'_The world is so cruel. Why did this happen?_' she thought as she stooped down and sobbed so hard. Her brother, Akagi Takenori felt so sorry for his sister. He never thought that she would feel a lot of pain like this. He thought that she would be happy with Sakuragi. He didn't think of what could happen that might make her feel depressed. Now, all he could do for her was to be strong to console her since Sakuragi wouldn't be with her anymore.

He stared at her as he put his right hand on her shoulder. "Haruko," he called but he didn't receive a response. He subsequently knelt down on her side, still holding her shoulder. Haruko sensed her brother's comfort but this wasn't enough to take away the pain from her heart. She turned her head and looked at him with her wet eyes. "Brother," she spoke in a very soft tone. There's no strength left for her to speak.

"I understand what you feel right now but you have to accept the reality. We can do nothing to bring him back to life," he said in a solemn manner. He saw her eyes filled with sorrow and tears. "Sakuragi is more than just a teammate to us. All this time, he has been our friend. All of us will miss him as you do. I know it's hard to accept but we have to," he said as he took his hand off her shoulder.

All of Sakuragi's friends were there. Miyagi, Mitsui, Kogure, Ayako, all of his teammates and even Anzai-sensei were there except for one person he apparently hated so much, Rukawa. They didn't know where he was or where he went. They didn't care about it anyway.

At the distance, a tall man with jet-black hair stood there and watched them mourning over Sakuragi's grave. Nobody noticed that Rukawa was watching from far away. He put his black cap on his head as the heavier rain fell. He knew that he should be over there with his friends or teammates rather but he chose not to be with them. He rather chose to be alone.

"Stupid Sakuragi," he muttered to himself. "He shouldn't have died. Haruko needs him and he has to be there for her," he mumbled with a very cold voice. Those words were not like the works he had usually uttered to Sakuragi before. Rather, those were words of his concern.

Though he wouldn't admit it, she has a special place in his heart. He wouldn't say that just for kicks. It's not because she's Akagi Takenori's sister but because he knew that she's the only one who could give him love he had been longing for. However, he kept that to himself and concentrated more on his basketball career. For a long time, he hadn't acknowledged his feelings towards the girl.

Now that Sakuragi's gone, she's all alone. What could he do? He couldn't just enter the scene and take advantage of her. He didn't know what to do. He just wanted to cheer her up but how?

People were still mourning his death. He could see that some of them had already left and had returned to their homes. As they walked by, the rain poured as they lifted their umbrellas to protect themselves. Shortly, he could see only Haruko and Takenori.

Takenori stood up and took the mud off his pants with his bare hands. He then cleaned his hand with his handkerchief and held once more her shoulder. "Let's go. We are the only ones left here," he said.

She looked at him wearily and teary-eyed. "I won't go. I want to stay here," was her reply. Her voice was still soft for she's very tired and needed a lot of rest. She didn't want to leave Sakuragi, not this time. She bowed her head down and stared at his grave as her tears rolled to her pale cheeks from her eyes.

He couldn't do anything to make her end her agony. It was very painful for him to see his beloved sister grieving. He knew she wouldn't leave because she loves Sakuragi so much. "Okay," he sighed. "I won't force you to leave. I'll go now," he said, worrying. "Take care of yourself."

Lifting his umbrella, he strode back home before she could say goodbye. She heard his footsteps fading away as she continued grieving over his grave.

Rukawa could see only Haruko kneeling down. '_Is this the right time to show up?_' he asked himself. Who could tell that this might be the right time for him to show up to her? Only him could answer his own question…

Freezing breeze blew again as the leaves flew and landed on the wet grounds. He put his black leather jacket on to keep himself warm. He had seen Haruko, who didn't seem to mind the coldness of the wind. She was still sobbing at the moment. He undoubtedly walked towards her for he couldn't help it.

Haruko was still staring at Sakuragi's grave, thinking of their past memories when he was still alive. She was still feeling the pain that the incident had brought to her. Crying in solitude, she felt a hand on top of her shoulder. She could sense that someone was there behind her. She felt coldness in that hand. She thought her brother had come back to accompany her. She then faced the owner of that hand anxiously.

"Rukawa," she was surprised to see him. She never thought he would come here. All she knew was he hated Sakuragi so much that he wouldn't bother to come here. A bit of happiness was felt in her heart but it wasn't enough to ease the pain she was feeling. Wearily, her puffy eyes met his cold, blue ones.

The dark-haired boy did nothing but stared at her with pity though he didn't show it. He felt sorrow for her suffering though his face showed no emotions. '_She doesn't deserve to experience this,_' he thought. '_Damn Sakuragi. He should have taken care of himself. He shouldn't have left Haruko,_' he cursed in his mind. He kept on blaming him for what's happening just to ease the tension he was feeling. He couldn't bear to see Haruko loking so depressed. But, blaming Sakuragi would do nothing to change the fact that he's already gone and the fact that Haruko's alone.

The cold wind blew Haruko's hair strands onto her face. Her slender fingers brushed her hair off her face and placed it behind her ears. She turned his face back towards the ground. "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

He took his hand off her shoulder and sighed, "I don't know. I really don't want to come here but my mind has told me to," he lied. He couldn't believe he had said that. He really wanted to come to show his sympathy and his comfort. He just didn't want to be too obvious.

She then too sighed out of disappointment. She thought that he was there to solace her. If she only knew what's inside his heart, she would not be disappointed. "You shouldn't be here. I knew you forced yourself to come here. After all, you hated Sakuragi and there's no reason for you to come here," she said with shaky voice because of the chilly weather.

He felt his heart beating so fast. He was stunned by her words. He never thought that she would say something like that. He didn't know the exact words to speak.

It was still raining and the wind had become so chilly. He could see her still weeping and shuddering for she's not wearing her sweater. He took off his black jacket and put it on her back to give her a little warmth.

"Actually, I have never hated Sakuragi. I'm just pestered by his attitude. I really have no personal conflict with him," he explained with a deep, cold voice, trying to ignore the coldness of the weather. The wind blew again gently as silence came between them for a while. Without his jacket, his face became pale and his lips were shaking a bit. It's noticeable that he was quivering but he tried to hide it from her.

The brown-haired girl finally stood up. Her knees were a bit dirty because of the mud but she paid it no attention. She carefully removed his jacket he had put on her. She had noticed him trembling. "Here, wear this," she showed him her concern as she put the jacket on him. "This might help you feel better."

He was a bit surprised. He didn't expect that she would do that for him. He was a bit guilty. He thought he needed to apologize to her. She had been so nice to him since their first meeting. She would usually greet him whenever they meet in the hallway but he would just ignore her, pretending she didn't exist. He remembered her offering her help when the bullies beat him up. He was badly injured and his body felt pain when she came to aid him but he did not acknowledge it. He pretended he didn't know her. He knew what he did was wrong and he had to admit that. If he had acted nicely, they would have been together. After all the things he had done, she's still nice to him.

He didn't know what words to say. He became speechless. Would 'thank you' be enough to show his appreciation of everything she had done for him? Perhaps not… He was about to speak when she began to talk.

"Thank you for coming here," she said with a weak smile, "You don't know how much this means to me." She got herself a handkerchief from her pocket and dampened it with the tears off her puffy eyes. "I'm sorry for the things I've said to you earlier. It is rude to say those words. I'm just so depressed and I…" before she could finish her sentence, he spoke.

"I understand," he felt a weird feeling, "Look, I should be the one who's sorry," he uttered in his usual tone but with sincerity. "I'm sorry for his death," He felt so awkward because he had never done this before.

His words touched her emotional heart. She wanted to smile but she couldn't due to her weariness. Few drops of tears had fallen from her tired eyes. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. Nobody wanted that to happen so no one should be blamed," she spoke softly.

Shortly, they felt the rain no more. The pouring of the rain had finally stopped. The dark clouds were gradually disappearing as the bright sun shone above the sky. Heat could be felt again and the sky had turned back into blue.

She faced the ground as if she didn't mind the sudden change of the weather. It didn't matter to her anyway. If there were anything she wanted to change, she would change the reality, not the weather. She folded her umbrella and started to make her way back to her home without saying any goodbye to Rukawa.

As she walked by, he turned towards her as his sight followed her. '_Should I come after her?_' he asked himself with the usual look on his face. He took off his jacket for it's not cold anymore and tied it around his waist. Shortly after few minutes of thinking, he decided to go after her.

She was already on few streets away from him when he ran after her. He passed by the lonely streets of Kanagawa where no one was there. Later on as he ran, he already reached her and grasped her arm. It's no wonder he could run fast; he's a basketball player.

She stopped from walking as he held her arm. She felt her heart throbbing. She looked at him, puzzled. "What do you want?" she questioned him.

Rukawa didn't respond. He didn't know what to answer anyway. He released his hold on her arm and put his hand in his pocket. He was a panting a bit. He didn't speak any word.

Haruko still looked at him looking puzzled. She had no idea why he ran after her like that. She never thought of a reason. "If you don't mind, I will go now," she said sounding harshly but she didn't mean to.

"I don't want you to go all by yourself," he sighed, looking expressionless. He really felt awkward about this.

She managed to put a little smile on her face though she felt so fatigued. This was the first time he showed her his concern. She did appreciate that but she was confused. Why was he doing that?

"I know this is a bit odd but really, I don't want you to go alone," he was a little ashamed of what he was doing though he still looked emotionless. He wasn't used to doing something like this. For some reason, he did that.

She just turned her back on him and started walking, thinking that it was just her imagination. This was kind of unusual to her. She thought it would be better if she would just go and pretend it didn't happen.

He still followed her until he got near her. He walked beside her, thinking that she let him to. "It's lonely, isn't it?" he asked.

She stared blankly at the streets as she walked by. She was trying to keep her tears from falling. She released a deep breath and replied, "Yeah. It is lonely but I'm trying not to think about it anymore."

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**Author's Notes: **Is it nice? Hope it is… It's a bit crappy isn't it? For those who are HarukoxSakuragi fans, I'm sorry if I killed Sakuragi because that's the only thing I thought of to get rid of him. Anyway, this fic is going to be very dramatic. Please R&R… Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: Released Emotions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them… The plot is mine and if you see some fics similar to mine, that's is just a coincidence.

**Author's Notes: **This is my first attempt to write a fanfiction so please bear with the errors that you might see. The characters I've used may seem a bit out of character but I hope you like the fic. Please read and review ok? Your reviews will help me improve. Your suggestions, corrections or criticisms are always welcome. Anyways, please do bear with my grammar… ;)

**Thanks: **I want to thank the first four people who reviewed my fanfic. Thanks to **Shierri**, **LiquidFlame**, **diwata**, and **Jaja**. I hope you will keep on reading and reviewing this fic. Thank you guys!

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**Chapter 2: Released Emotions**

The sun glared above the streets of Kanagawa. The wet grounds had become dry as the heat continued to spread. Rukawa and Haruko made their way back home, passing by the lonely sidewalk.

"I'm sorry if I have said that. I just wanted to know," he said staring blankly ahead as they walked. '_Am I doing the right thing?_' he thought. He wasn't sure if it was right to intrude other people's feelings. Minding someone's business was kind of unusual to him.

Haruko continued walking as she looked at the ground. She couldn't bear the heat she was feeling at the moment. It's just a while ago when the sky turned dark and poured heavy rain. Subsequently, the rain stopped and the sun came out glaring over the ground. Weather's so uncontrollable, so as the sudden turn of events.

Silence came in between them as they walked along the street. Though the wind could be felt blowing slightly, extreme heat was completely spread out. Haruko carried her umbrella and opened it to protect herself from the radiation of the sun. Staring impassively at the road, she seemed not to hear what Rukawa said. She was trying to forget the incident but she couldn't.

The raven-haired boy breathed in deeply and sighed. "I haven't asked yet, how did Sakuragi die?" he seemed curious about it. For him, Sakuragi's a strong man. He never thought he would die as early as that.

As they walked by, they had reached the park where no one was there. They could see benches were no one was sitting. No one was playing in the playground.

Looking so gloomy, Haruko stopped for a while and lowered her head. The incident's still fresh in her mind and she tried to forget it all at once but no matter how she tried, it still remained in her mind. His question reminded her again of the incident that made her tears fall but she held it back as well as her emotions.

Rukawa noticed her controlling her feelings because her face showed it. He felt pity on her. '_I'm so dumb. I shouldn't have asked that,_' his mind told him. He didn't want her to look sad, yet he did it again. "I'm sorry if I didn't think first before asking. Just don't answer if you don't want to," he said in his usual manner, as expressions could not be seen on his face.

"No," she said holding her emotions back. "You must know about it." She headed towards the empty bench in the park and sat on it.

He followed her and sat beside her. He felt the heat of the benches but he didn't mind it. He stared at her worriedly though it's not that noticeable as she lowered her head down keeping her tears from falling.

She let out a sigh in depression and began to speak. "It happened last night when Sakuragi and I had a date."

**Flashback……………………..**

It was already evening. The cold sky was dark as the stars glittered brightly. Neon lights could be seen from the flashy billboards along the road. A tall man with striking red hair and a pretty girl with a shoulder-length brown hair came from a mall, clinging to each other's arm as they carried along their shopping bags.

The couple walked along the sidewalk as they passed many faces of the people. Bliss could be seen on their faces. It seemed there's no tomorrow when they were together. "You know, I've never been so happy in my life," Sakuragi admitted to Haruko. "I'm so happy because you didn't dump me," his smile almost reached his ears because of his happiness.

Haruko couldn't help but smile. She's glad seeing Sakuragi so happy. With that, she felt contented. She didn't feel so glad like this with Rukawa. Though she might be a little pleased she's not too satisfied. She only found satisfaction with Sakuragi.

She gazed at him with her gleaming eyes, not paying attention to the pathway she was walking on. She could see him looking so cute and funny. "Sakuragi," she called. Sakuragi turned his head to look at her. "You really are cute," she said, giggling.

Because of that, his feelings aroused even more. Happiness had already flooded his heart. It seemed that he had forgotten all about his problems regarding his rival, Rukawa Kaede. After all, he's already Haruko's boyfriend and there's nothing to worry about.

"Sakuragi, you were good in shooting the ball earlier. You really are improving on your shooting skills. I'm so impressed," she said. "You've become so great!"

Hearing this, he began to laugh like crazy with his hands on his hips. "Really Haruko?" he pretended that he couldn't believe what she said. He seemed admiring himself.

He had been laughing so loud for about 10 minutes now before he stopped and controlled his actions. He started to mind their way to avoid accidents. They walked on their way until they reached the intersection of the roads. Cars could hardly be seen at the moment.

Haruko saw a beautiful stuffed toy in a toyshop located at the other side of the road. Her eyes literally sparkled in excitement. She released her hold on his arm and stepped on the pedestrian lane without caution. She didn't notice a speeding car coming through.

Sakuragi had seen the car coming closer to Haruko. "Haruko, watch out!" he exclaimed with his widened eyes.

She saw the vehicle, speeding along the road. She froze in fear and her whole body stiffened. She couldn't move her body because fear had overcome her.

The car was about to hit her when Sakuragi immediately raced down the lane going to the spot where Haruko was standing on and pushed her away to save her life. She tumbled down and got some minor injuries. Yet, she managed to stand up and to condition herself. When she turned back, her eyes widened in shock. A look of tension could be seen on her face as she saw the result of the incident. She could feel her heart beating so fast. The car had indeed hit Sakuragi.

Nearly hundreds of people surrounded the spot where the incident had happened. They crowded over Sakuragi's unconscious body. Haruko drew closer to him as she made her way through the crowd. Though there were many people around, no one bothered to call the ambulance.

She almost fainted when she sighted his condition. She had seen his body, which was badly injured and covered with blood. His red head hit the ground, which caused it to bleed. His limbs were covered with bruises and deep wounds as well as his whole body. He was still breathing but remained unconscious.

While many people were surrounding the lane, two young men were on their way back home from their colleges. One of them whose hair was a bit curly was slightly shorter than the other one. These men were certainly Miyagi and Mitsui.

As they walked along the road, the scenario caught their attention.

"Mitsui, what do you think is happening over there?" Miyagi wondered as he pointed his index finger towards the crowd.

Mitsui had looked at where Miyagi's finger was ponting. He had seen a lot of people, probably watching something nonsense. This had intrigued him and made go near the crowd. "I don't know. Let's go and check it out," he said as they strode going near them.

As they went by, Miyagi had noticed that there's something wrong going on. The both guys dashed to the crowd to see what was really the commotion. They were expecting trouble and when they got thee, to their surprise, they had seen Haruko looking shocked and Sakuragi laying on the lane bleeding.

Mitsui immediately rushed over his body and held Sakuragi's wrist to feel if his pulse was still beating. "Haruko, what happened?" he loudly asked her, who was crying bitterly at the moment.

Haruko could hardly speak for she was still in state of shock. Her lips slightly opened but no words came out. She tried to speak clearly but sniffles had conquered her. "He was hit by a car," she replied with her shuddering voice.

"Then why didn't you call the ambulance?" Mitsui frowned because of confusion. He was completely annoyed by the people around who were meddling but didn't seem to care.

Haruko couldn't answer. Fear had already overcome her that she hadn't done anything to help her boyfriend out of his suffering. She could feel her body trembling from head to toes.

Miyagi couldn't stand the commotion going on. Those people had already got on his nerves that he yelled at them. He could no longer hold his anger back. "Why don't all of you go and mind your own business? You don't help us anyway!" he yelled at them looking very mad.

The people had no choice but to leave. Insults and curses could be heard from their mouths but no one cared. Miyagi and Mitsui couldn't understand why did they have the guts to speak those kinds of words though they were the ones who were wrong.

Miyagi slid his hand into his pocket and got his phone. "I'll call for an ambulance," he said as he started to dial the hospital's number. Unfortunately, every number he dialed was busy. But, he still kept on calling.

"Haruko, don't just stand there. Why don't you call your brother instead to inform him?" he suggested. He then got his phone also and dialed the hospital's number.

She did what Mitsui had told her to do. She got her phone and called her brother. It took almost 5 rings before her call was answered. In their conversation, she told him everything about the incident as she tried to suppress her emotions.

Few minutes later, the ambulance came. Sakuragi was put on a stretcher and was taken inside it. After that, he was carried hurriedly to the hospital. As the ambulance sped along the road, Haruko held Sakuragi's hand. The hand was becoming cold and pale but she didn't care. Her tears began to fall down to her cheeks little by little as she prayed for his safety.

They had got there as soon as they could. The unconscious Sakuragi was brought straight to the emergency room. Haruko, Mitsui, and Miyagi waited patiently inside the lobby. Looking so worried, Haruko sat on the couch and rested her head agains the wall with her arms crossed. Still thinking about the incident, she wept silently.

Miyagi and Mitsui couldn't help but notice her suffering. They had felt pity on her thought it was not the right time to pity her. They had to be strong for Haruko's sake. Sitting beside her, Miyagi rested his elbows on his knees and leaned his forehead against his palms as he looked at the floor with his wide-open eyes.

Mitsui stood there as he held his phone, trying to contact Takenori. He called him many times but he couldn't contact him. It seemed that Takenori's phone was turned off. He then got pissed and put his phone back in his pocket. Facing Haruko, he went beside her and put hi hand on her shoulder. He seemed to show that he cared about Sakuragi. His eyes looked at hers showing sympathy.

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine," he said, trying to console her.

His words had indeed touched her emotions though it wasn't that conspicuous. She did like what he had said. She needed those words to uplift herself especially during times like these. She wished that everything would be fine. She hoped that his boyfriend would be all right.

Few minutes later, Takenori arrived in the hospital's lobby. He looked around to see where Haruko and her companions were. He then saw them and headed towards them.

"Haruko… Miyagi… Mitsui…" he called.

The sound of his voice made them noticed him except Haruko. Seriously, Mitsui looked at his former teammate. Miyagi didn't bother to stand up for he wanted to rest his tired body. Still, Haruko remained on her position as if she hadn't noticed her brother standing in front of her. She just stared blankly at the floor.

"I already knew what had happened. I tried to come here as soon as I could. By the way, where is he right now?" Takenori asked worriedly.

"He's in the emergency room. Hope he's okay," Mitsui responded.

Hours had passed and the operation was not yet over. Haruko, Miyagi, Mitsui, and Takenori waited patiently for the result of the operation as they sat on the couch. Subsequently, everyone could hear Haruko's soft sniffles. Moreover, it was very noticeable that she was so depressed. Upon her long wait, her puffy eyes slightly closed as her tears fell over her pale cheeks.

Few hours later, the doctor had finally come out of the emergency room. A plain look could be seen on the doctor's face as if everything was under control. Though, they could not help but worry. He walked towards them and looked at them calmly.

Takenori stood up and said, "Good evening doctor. I am the patient's friend. He's the one who met an accident earlier and he was brought here. Anyway, how is he?"

The doctor took his surgical mask off his face and released a deep breath. "We did everything we could do but it wasn't enough," the doctor explained calmly. "I'm sorry," he lowered his head and turned his back on them. He began to walk away.

Their eyes widened in shock. They couldn't believe what the doctor had said. Hearing the news, Haruko did not seem to be breathing. Her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. Her tears stopped falling. She then stood up and followed the doctor hurriedly. She reached the doctor's shoulder and he stopped and turned to see her.

"Tell me it's not true. How did it happen? Tell me the truth doctor," she said with a trembling voice. Clearly, she wanted a clear answer.

**End of flashback…………………………**

"The doctor said that he died due to excessive loss of blood and skull fracture. Also, he had a cerebral hemorrhage and a fractured vertebra," she suppressed her sobs before Rukawa realized she couldn't hold her emotions much longer.

This once, he let her head lean on his shoulder as she clenched his shirt tightly releasing her emotions. Comforting her, Rukawa put his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry Rukawa…"

"It's okay…" he replied in his usual tone.

In the arms of an impassive guy, Haruko cried. Her emotions had finally been released.

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**Author's Notes: **It's a pretty long flashback, isn't it? This chapter explains about Sakuragi's death. Is it a bit confusing? I hope it's not. Anyway, I hope you like it and please RR… 


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